Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
I tense, my attention shooting to the couch, where Mason and the other boys I’ve known all my life are eating pizza from the box. Sure enough, all three of their glares swing toward the open door.
Of course, it’s not at all surprising when the one who flies to his feet first is the big, burly protector of our group.
His heavy feet pound against the floor, and I throw my arms out, palms pressing to either side of the frame, blocking his path.
Yes, I talked a big game about letting my boys eat Alister for lunch, but at the end of the day, he’s not worth the trouble they’d get into with their coach.
He reaches me in three Goliath-sized steps, so I raise a blond brow, and he raises one right back, his massive hands closing over my ribs in the same second. He lifts me with zero effort, shifting and preparing to deposit me to the side, but I’m not going to make it that easy.
I curl my limbs around him until I’m a full-on frontal backpack.
He tenses for a split second, then his chuckle fills my ear. “If you think that’s gonna stop me from getting down those stairs, you’re wrong.”
“He’s probably already tucked his tail and ran off.”
“Staring right at him.”
My head yanks around, and sure enough, Alister is standing right there at the bottom of the stairs, looking right at me. Or more at me latched and locked on the tree of a man that is Brady Lancaster.
My lips purse and I bug my eyes as if to say what the hell are you doing?
Alister smirks, crosses his arms, and just…stands there.
A low rumble vibrates against my chest, and I curl my arms tighter. “Brady—”
“Nope.” He cuts me off, his hands moving to the underside of my thighs to support me as he starts taking the stairs down two at a time. “Warned his ass.”
“Well, I think it’s established he’s not the brightest.”
“I take offense at that,” Alister drawls.
“You were meant to,” I snap. “Why are you still there?!”
“Waiting for him to put you down.”
Brady grips me tighter. “I’m gonna drop-kick his ass,” he mumbles for only me to hear, and I know we must be but two steps away now. He may very well do as he wishes.
I wrap my arms tighter, shimmying to get my mouth to his ear. “If you turn around, I’ll do your laundry for a week.”
“Nope.”
“I’ll cook you breakfast.”
“You don’t wake up till noon. I’m up by five.”
Not true.
Well, not entirely true.
“Ugh! Fine, I’ll give you a massage after the game.”
Brady jerks to a stop midstep, tugging back to meet my eye. His narrow. “Not the next morning. On game night.”
“Yep.”
“I’m talkin’ right after.”
“I’ll come to the locker room if they let me.”
“Locker room?” Alister asks, stepping closer.
“No.” Brady scowls, his voice low. “Your dorm. I want quiet and that smell-good shit.”
“Wait, her dorm for what?”
I smile at Brady, pretending Alister doesn’t exist. “Lavender and chamomile.”
“What the hell are you two talking—”
Brady tears me from him, winding me to his back like nothing, and I latch on, my head snapping forward just as Brady places himself on level footing with Alister, cutting the asshole off.
He doesn’t say a word, just stares down at Alister a moment before chuckling and spinning on his heels. Brady leaps up the stairs with me on his back, and when we reach the room once more, my bestie Ari and the boys are waiting for us.
As we step inside, he spins, both of us now staring down the narrow stairwell at the blond…who is still standing where we left him.
Brady pats my thighs, now woven around him from behind, so I lower them to the floor, but before I can step away, he twists his torso and reaches back until he can wrap his arm around my waist. He hauls me against his side, speaking to Alister. “Cameron will call you if she wants to talk, but I wouldn’t bet on it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, she’s a stubborn one.”
“I’m well aware,” Alister bites back.
“Then you’re aware she’s not in the business of second chances.”
Alister crosses his arms. “Which will make it all the sweeter when she awards me one.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“Don’t fall for my girl.”
My brows snap together, but Brady only laughs, shaking his head at the guy who can’t take a hint—or refuses to. But it’s not the words that Alister spoke that linger long after Ari and I head back to our dorm.
It’s the look of sheer determination that was etched across his attractive face as his eyes met mine.
He’s not going to walk away from the idea of us so easily.
The question is, What the hell am I going to do about it?
CHAPTER TWO
Cameron
“Remind me why I agreed to this again?” I whine the second I drag my feet out of my dorm and spot Brady right where he said he’d be waiting. “It’s like the witching hour.”